Characteristics of 133 included CPG in the study
| Variable | N (%) |
| Region | |
| International | 3 (2.3) |
| America | 49 (36.8) |
| Asia | 44 (33.1) |
| Europe | 31 (23.3) |
| Oceania | 6 (4.5) |
| Type of CPG | |
| Comprehensive CPG | 89 (66.9) |
| T&CM CPG | 13 (9.8) |
| Acupuncture-specific CPG | 31 (23.3) |
| CPGs with at least one acupuncture recommendation supported by systematic reviews | |
| Comprehensive CPG | 46 (34.6) |
| T&CM CPG | 7 (5.3) |
| Acupuncture-specific CPG | 12 (9.0) |
| The health intent* | |
| Treatment | 129 (97.0) |
| Prevention | 17 (12.8) |
| Target users* | |
| Healthcare provider | 127 (95.5) |
| Policy-maker | 9 (6.8) |
| Patient | 39 (29.3) |
| Using GRADE to assess thecertainty of the evidence | |
| Reported | 69 (51.9) |
| Not reported | 64 (48.1) |
| Using GRADE to assess the strength of recommendation | |
| Reported | 59 (44.4) |
| Not reported | 74 (55.6) |
*One CPG can contribute to more than one category.
CPG, clinical practice guidelines; GRADE, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation; T&CM, traditional and complementary medicine.